# Gigs & skills (hybrid progression)

Vision-level design for how characters grow. **Combat** uses **gigs** (swap roles for grouping clarity). **Non-combat** uses **skills** (gathering, crafting, and similar loops). [Epic 2 — Classless progression](../decomposition/epics/epic_02_classless_progression.md) (E2.M1–M4) still describes **skill** XP machinery; a **gig** progression layer may sit beside or above it in data—decomposition should be revisited when this split hardens.

## Vocabulary

From here on in game-design docs:

| Term | Means |
|------|--------|
| **Gig** | The **combat role** (combat “class”): what you bring to a fight—kit, tuning band, party expectations. Not used for crafting or gathering. |
| **Skill** | A **non-combat** trained capability only (gather, craft, etc.). Never used to mean the combat gig. |

Fiction and UI may still say *job*, *contract*, or *loadout* in dialogue; design vocabulary stays **gig** / **skill** to avoid ambiguity.

## Why hybrid

- **Gigs** give parties a readable answer to “what are you on this run?” without forcing alts. They match **contracts, loadouts, and corporate muscle** as fantasy.
- **Skills** keep the **economy and crafting** surface wide: anyone can work those capabilities over time, and “street doc” can mean high medic **craft skill** + rep, not only an active gig.

## Gigs (combat)

A **gig** is the **combat identity** you bring to a fight: ability access, baseline tuning band, and party expectations (tank, support, control, damage, etc.). Gigs are **swapped** under rules TBD—not necessarily mid-fight.

- **Swap constraints** (out of combat only, hub-only, cooldown, consumable, story gate) are a major feel knob: permissive = high flexibility; strict = sharper commitment per outing.
- **Progression per gig:** separate level/track vs. shared “combat rank” with gig-specific unlocks—**open**; separate tracks support “I main tank but leveled medic for backup” at the cost of more balancing.
- **Mastery/perks** can attach to **gigs** (combat expression) while **skills** use the same *idea* for craft depth (E2.M3-style), or stay separate—**open**.

## Skills (non-combat, classless)

Everything **outside combat role resolution**—gathering, refining, crafting lines, non-combat tech, etc.—uses **skills**:

- **Any character can train any skill** over time (subject to world gates: discovery, rep, licenses—those expand content, they are not “you picked the wrong gig”).
- **Identity** for “what you do in the economy” is the **skill graph + reputation + gear**, not the gig you ran last night.
- **Long-term:** avoid dead-end grinds; slow or expensive is fine, “wrong choice forever” is not.

### What counts as a skill

A **skill** is a persistent, leveled capability improved primarily by **doing the activity** (chop, refine, assemble, etc.). Supplementary sources (books, training) stay optional. Skills stay **data-defined** (stable IDs, categories, prerequisites).

### Categories (families)

Categories group skills for **UI and balance** (e.g. *Gathering*, *Craft*, *Tech*, *Social*). They are **not** gigs and do not replace them.

### XP, failure, caps, pacing (skills)

- **Server-authoritative** grants with structured sources (node, recipe, mission payout, …).
- **Failure XP** per activity where it helps fun and not exploits.
- **Runaway mitigation** via diminishing returns, context, soft caps.
- **Gates** (recipes, rep, licenses) should **add** paths, not fake gigs.
- **Pacing/catch-up** (E2.M4) applies across **skills**; **gigs** may use the same engine or a parallel one—**open**.

## Seams (gigs ↔ skills)

| Topic | Direction |
|--------|-----------|
| **Combat gear** | **Gig-restricted.** Weapons, armor, and other combat-loadout pieces declare which **gig(s)** may equip or fully activate them. A gig swap implies a **combat loadout change** (how automatic vs. manual is tied to [gig swap rules](#gigs-combat)—TBD). Non-combat tools (pickaxe, scanner, craft bench) stay **skill**-gated, not gig-gated, unless a piece is explicitly hybrid. |
| **Crafting combat gear** | **No gig or gig level requirement.** Who can *build* it depends on **skills** (e.g. gunsmith), recipes, rep, facilities—never on owning a gig or its level. A character can **craft combat gear they cannot equip** (wrong gig, low gig level, etc.): valid for **trade**, **stock**, or **group play**. **Equip/activation** stays **gig-restricted** as above. |
| **Consumables** | **Carry and use** are not gig-gated by default—anyone can pop a stim or patch. **Potency can scale with gig:** e.g. a **medic** (or medic-adjacent gig) gets **bonus healing / duration / cleanse** from the same med consumable that others use at a **baseline**. Other consumables may have **no** gig hook, or hooks for other gigs—data-driven per item. |
| **Rep / story** | Almost always **character-wide**; gigs change how you *express* it in combat. |
| **Alts** | Hybrid should reduce alt pressure; if gig swap is too free, maining every gig becomes the new problem—tune swap cost or ramp. |

## Player-facing readability

- **Combat:** UI shows **active gig**, gig level/track, combat abilities, and **combat gear** the gig can use (mismatched gear disabled or greyed). Consumable tooltips can show **baseline vs. boosted** values when the active gig gets an amplification.
- **Non-combat / crafting:** **skill** list, XP sources, categories; crafting combat gear does **not** hide recipes behind gigs—only **skill**/recipe gates (optional UI hint if the product is unequippable for your current gig).
- Use **gig** / **skill** consistently in specs and tools; flavor text can vary.

## Decisions log

| Topic | Direction | Status |
|-------|-----------|--------|
| Vocabulary | **Gig** = combat role; **skill** = non-combat only | Agreed |
| Combat gear | **Gig-restricted** equip/activation; non-combat tools **skill**-gated | Agreed |
| Crafting combat gear | **Skill**/recipe/rep (etc.) only—**not** gig or gig level; craft-for-others OK | Agreed |
| Consumables | Baseline for all; **gig can amplify** (e.g. medic + healing consumable) | Agreed |
| Combat vs. non-combat | **Gigs** for combat; **skills** for gather/craft/etc. | Proposed |
| Professions (economy) | No separate profession system; economy identity from **skills** + rep | Agreed ([overview](overview.md)) |
| Primary skill XP | Do the activity | Proposed |
| Failure XP | Per-activity; watch exploits | Open |
| Skill caps | Prefer soft; hard only if economy/PvP needs | Proposed |
| Gig swap rules | — | Open |
| Shared vs. per-gig combat progression | — | Open |
| Epic 2 doc split | Align modules when gig data model is chosen | TBD |

## Next artifacts

- **Gigs** — roster size, swap UX, party finder tags, PvP ([overview](overview.md)).
- **Abilities** — **gig-locked** vs. **item-locked** vs. **skill-gated**.
- **Items** — **equip:** gig rules; **craft:** **skills** (and recipe/rep), never gig level.